Description: A micro-sized dual band entry from vertex/standard...With 1.5 watts output
on 2 meters, and 1 watt on 440... With 13.8 vdc power jumps to 3 watts on
144, and 2 on 440...Has wide band rx, and NEW ferrite bar antenna for AM
broadcasts... 1000 ma/1 amp lithium -ion battery

I really like this little dual band radio it does me a great job & I mostly use it for my IRLP (3756)& my All Star node (46363) I am so proud of mine I have purchased another also but they are very scarce now that Yaesu has stopped production. Really a shame since they are so nice with a very low battery drain on the lowest power setting. The programming of this one is really quite easy but like so many new one seems to be bit confusing to some. I know both Chirp as RT Systems provide programming also. Sure hope Yaesu or someone would produce one similar I would purchase in a heart beat! Harold W2HR

Menu System was surprisingly simple, not difficult to program without the manual - unlike many HTs

Big audio from the speakers too, which you might not expect from such a small package.

No regrets, and very handy to put in your pocket and go. Be mindful of the power output limitations (download the manual), if you are 15 miles from the repeater - this little wonder may not get you there!

I bought the radio about a year ago. I am sure a lot has been said. I still have to find a flaw. For the size it works really well. I had the VX2 before which was nice. It seems the VX3 is a good progress.
Thinks I like:
1. The size and weight.
There is no excuse now to leave the radio at home.

2. Audio Quality
For the size of the radio the audio quality is exceptional. It is loud and clear.

3. Coverage of broadcast bands
FM, AM and SW
Nice add on when the bands are dead. You can just spend some time scanning the broadcast bands and check out propagation on SW

4. The Stereo Jack
Ideal add on, it is now possible to to hook up your radio to the car hifi easily and monitor broadcasts or your club frequency regardless of car noise.

5. Sensitivity
Really good sensitivity on all bands.

6. Menu
it is fairly straight forward to use

Things to do:
Carry a spare battery on you. Even though the factory battery is quite good, sods law has it that it will fail just when you need it most. Spare batteries are standard and cheap on ebay.
I would definitely carry a spare if you use it on the move.

Things I would improve:
The DC socket is somewhat off a standard size forcing you to use Yaesu accessories.
I wished to see a USB charging socket since the world seems to have gone USB.

Otherwise a purchase not regretted!

I have the samey looking Baofeng version which just operates in UHF/VHF - although usable in performance, slickness, configurability, usability etc. it doesn't compare at all. You get what you pay for!
Not bad the Baofeng but not reaching up to Yaesu standards.

the true mighty atom! this little gem does all I need and more as it has shortwave receive and 2m and 440 coverage plus your fm/am broadcast with weather and weather alert if needed! this is a super radio that can do it all! also it uses np-60 camera battery and I use a outboard charger you can get on amazon for a very low price! so this talkie works and hears very well and is easy to carry all day without the fatigue so if you want a super cool small radio that does dual band with wide receive and such this is for you!!

I bought this radio on a whim (got a little bonus from work). I am a Yaesu man...I own the 897D, 8900 and the FT-60. I work on the road as a field supervisor for my company in a major metro area (SD,CA) and as such I carry a small bag with all my needs. I bought a Boefeng UV-3R to carry in my bag. It worked okay just wasn't a Yaesu. This radio performed quite well, I had a Diamond SRH77CA antenna on my FT-60...it fit right on this radio and made a nice radio into a great radio. And the BC band makes it even nicer as I can't always have a radio in the vehicle I drive. All in all...a great investment on my part.

I've owned this radio for a number of years and it continues to satisfy me. It's one of a stable of a half-dozen or so HTs, so doesn't get used as often as it would otherwise. The DC-daylight aspect is particularly nice as well as 1000 channels of memory storage. I mostly use it for monitoring public safety, marine, and railroad channels. My only complaint is that the power on/off switch has gotten balky and needs to be pressed "just so" to turn the radio on and off. It's reliable in that respect, just need to get the magic touch. It might be worth buying another one rather than getting this one fixed. Batteries are cheap and I did the AA case modification to use the "fat" NP-120 batteries for many long hours of use per charge. The price today, $139, makes this radio a real bargain.

I owned this radio several years ago but sold it. I found that I missed having it and purchased another one recently. I'm glad to have it back. I still had the little whip antennae I used to use and I'm back in business. I keep it in my pack in the local mountains (theres an antenna farm at the top so reception isn't typically a problem). I bought the software this time around which made it MUCH easier to get my favorite frequencies back into the radio. The price has also dropped about $40 since I bought my original one.

My unit was great for several years, unfortunately it is now dead. Still receives but no transmit. Was a good HT but it has to last longer then 2years.
This unit was treated very well, never dropped, kept dry and kept warm in the extreme cold of the North.
Can't believe it didn't last longer, very disappointed.

Its hard to believe the size when you first unpack it.You could be forgiven for thinking it being a toy.A toy it is not,its a brilliant little radio packed with features and built to last,no radio hams shirt pocket should be without one,its truly amazing what this matchbox can do.The only thing that some might think lets it down is the rubber duck antenna,it works well enough but something with a bit more clout might improve things on transmit.All in all its a little gem and I love it.

I got this just last week and used it all weekend on the yearly MS Bike Ride event here in the Kansas City Metro area. I was able to hit all the designated repeaters for the event using this radio and a Comet SMJ-24 whip antenna. Yes, the supplied antenna is weak, just short of a dummy load but when combined with a better HT antenna this thing really shines. The batteries for it are the common NP60 kind found in a lot of digital cameras and easily available off-the-rack at any Batteries Plus store for around $30. You can even get the charger there. I picked up a spare battery and used it this weekend as well with no problems. I also have the AA-battery pack for it for emergencies when I cannot get my two batteries recharged. I turned the radio on in Lawrence, Kansas at 0630 with voltage displaying at 4.1v (full charge) and kept it on all day until 3pm. When I checked the voltage again it was at 3.8v. And that was only transmitting a few times during the day but it was a really busy event net (over 80 hams) so it was pretty much perfect. It rode in the front pocket of my mesh motorcycle jacket and I could just leave it there and listen to the net while off the bike. On the bike I use an Icom 880h @ 15w and even then it didn't really mess with the little Yaesu in my pocket. I'm picking up another one of these for my possibles bag. The audio coming out of the speaker is really good even if it isn't as loud as my backup el cheapo Baofeng UV5-series. At least it's clearer audio than the Baofeng and not as tinny.
"Stand back everyone, I'm about to crank up the mighty 1.5 watts on my massive HT!" as I pulled it out of my jacket pocket usually drew laughs but I hit the repeaters every time.
If you're an urbanite with lots of repeaters around you then this is a perfect radio for you. If you work a lot of events in wide-open spaces then this radio is pretty good as well. I've even programmed in the local air freqs in it and put them in a separate memory bank so when I get bored I can listen to ATC traffic from KCI and local airports. I also use it to listen to the weather radio freqs, and sometimes local FM radio when I'm working on-site on a long IT job. It's like my Kenwood TH6A's little, more-pocketable brother.